How America’s Health Care System Broke in 2025 |
Two moments in 2025 revealed how vulnerable the U.S. health care system has become. The first was quiet but consequential. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised parts of its vaccine guidance in ways that appeared influenced by political pressure rather than scientific evidence. The second was impossible to ignore. Families across the country received notices that their insurance premiums would rise sharply in 2026 unless Congress extended Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The former signaled that national scientific guidance can now tilt toward ideology. The latter showed how fragile and costly it has become simply to stay healthy. Together, they revealed the same truth. America is entering 2026 with a health system that is more politically exposed, more unequal, and more unstable than at any time in recent memory.
As a physician, a mother, and the CEO of a health equity organization, I spent 2025 watching these stress fractures deepen. And while the many health-related crises of 2025—such as maternal mortality, clinician burnout, rapid and unregulated adoption of artificial intelligence, rising costs, and un-scientific, ideologically-driven public health guidances—were often perceived as separate, they all reflect a deeper question. Is healthcare in the United States a public good or a political battleground?
To move forward in 2026, we must be honest about what this year exposed: the U.S. healthcare system is officially broken.
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Throughout 2025, the federal government and several state healthcare systems advanced new restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Health systems scaled back or closed equity offices. Federal grants built to reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities were delayed or eliminated.
This impact is not hypothetical. It is felt most acutely by the people already facing the greatest barriers. Black mothers continue to experience the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Disabled people